Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla had given South Africa a slender lead over New Zealand at the end of the third day of the first Test on Friday, which was disrupted for 30 minutes by a fire alarm at University Oval.
Mumbai Indians pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah says there is nothing that the bowlers have to change drastically following the hammering they received from Rajasthan Royals in the previous game.
The pitch sported a healthy green cover, although it looked dry underneath before being put under cover.
The New Zealand government tightened border restrictions and stating that all those entering the country from Australia would be subjected to a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period. The new restrictions, which come into from Sunday midnight, would have led to the New Zealand team being quarantined if it stayed back to complete the assignment.
Images from the IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Punjab Kings, in Chennai, on Friday.
Sri Lanka ended the third day's play at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on 293 for five, still 10 runs away from making New Zealand bat again after they had been asked to follow on.
Recalled batsman Neil Broom scored his maiden one-day century and took two crucial catches as New Zealand completed a 67-run victory over Bangladesh in the second one-day international at Saxton Oval in Nelson on Thursday.
IMAGES from Day 3 of the Boxing Day Test played between Australia and New Zealand at the MCG on Saturday.
South Africa will need their bowlers to step up to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
India win fifth ODI to seal 4-1 series victory in New Zealand
Trent Boult top the most valuable players list with Mohammed Shami hold on to second position
Chasing a record 468 for victory, New Zealand were teetering at 31 for two at the break with Tom Latham 10 not out and Ross Taylor unbeaten on five. Images from Day 4 of the first Test between Australia and New Zealand in Perth on Sunday.
With the three-match T20I series ahead and also the World Cup round the corner, India will have to address this weakness to ensure that their much-vaunted batting doesn't crumble on an odd day when the condition aids swing bowling in England.
Trent Boult and Tim Southee have exposed the chinks in Prithvi Shaw's armour but India captain Virat Kohli is ready to wait and watch before any corrective analysis as he does not see a pattern in the young opener's dismissals so far. There are a few shortcomings that experts have noticed in Shaw's batting after the 20-year-old right-handed batsman scored just 16 and 14 in the two innings of the first Test against New Zealand in Wellington, which India lost by 10 wickets.
India's captain Virat Kohli said the toss turned out to be very important in the first Test which New Zealand won by ten wickets on Monday, Day 4, in Wellington.
New Zealand moved to temper expectations ahead of the Cricket World Cup after their six-wicket victory over India in the warm-up match on Saturday, with conditions likely to be more conducive to batting during the tournament.
CSK, with their experience of winning important moments, will certainly make Capitals wary.
'We leave it up to the players to decide whether or not they want to participate and request NOCs'
Jos Buttler and Joe Root thrashed brilliant centuries in England's highest One-Day International score on the way to a 210-run rout of New Zealand in the first game of the series at Edgbaston on Tuesday.
Chasing 268 to go 1-0 up in the two-Test series, Karunaratne's 161-run opening stand with Lahiru Thirimanne (64) set the tone for a successful chase at the Galle International Stadium.
Images from Sunday's IPL match between Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab, in Dubai.
India were 227 for eight in their second innings at stumps on the third day of the second cricket Test against New Zealand at the Edens Garden on Kolkata on Sunday. India, thus, took an overall lead of 339 runs over New Zealand with two wickets in hand. Rohit Sharma made 82 while Wriddhiman Saha was unbeaten on 39 along side Bhuvneshwar Kumar (8 not out).
England head coach Trevor Bayliss has said his players were like 'rabbits in the headlights' as they were dismissed for 58 in a dismal batting performance in the first Test against New Zealand on Thursday.
New Zealand's bowlers steadily chipped away at the West Indies lineup to record a ruthless 240-run victory shortly before tea on the fourth day of the second Test at Seddon Park in Hamilton on Tuesday to wrap up a 2-0 series sweep.
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle list IPL 2021's 50 Most Valuable Players up to Game 39.
India have accumulated 122 points on the back of series wins over Australia and New Zealand and are placed behind England.
The Black Caps were also scheduled to travel to Australia for an ODI series but the fixture was on Friday postponed to next summer (2021-22) due to the pandemic.
He becomes the second fastest Indian to 100 ODI wickets
India frittered away a solid start as a middle-order collapse saw them reduced to 291 for 9 on the opening day of the first cricket Test against New Zealand despite half-centuries from Murali Vijay and Cheteshwar Pujara in Kanpur on Thursday.
In India, 29 positive cases have been reported so far, including 16 Italian tourists. New Zealand Cricket said that the cricket board is in constant touch with the country's health, foreign affairs and sports ministry to get regular updates which will ensure health safety for its players.
Rajasthan Royals celebrated their return to their home ground at the Sawai Mansingh stadium with a 10-run win over Delhi Daredevils in the rain-hit Indian Premier League match in Jaipur on Wednesday.
World number one India suffered a seven-wicket defeat in less than three days as New Zealand completed a 2-0 series sweep in the second Test, in Christchurch, on Monday. India were all out for 124 in their second innings to set New Zealand an easy target of 132 to win the match. The hosts cruised to victory, with openers Tom Latham (52) and Tom Blundell (55) both hitting half-centuries.
Shubman Gill had a good net session on Thursday and it is expected that he would be asked to open the innings alongside Mayank Agarwal if Prithvi Shaw is unable to make it for the second Test against New Zealand, starting in Christchurch on Saturday.
Indians dominated the limited-over teams by having three and four players in the ODI and T20I respectively
India's Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah unmoved
Alastair Cook's third successive dismissal to New Zealand left-armer Trent Boult on Friday will undoubtedly raise questions as to whether the former captain may look to end his illustrious career.
History is going to be made on Sunday, regardless of the result in the ICC Men's Cricket Word Cup final at Lord's. Neither England nor New Zealand have ever tasted victory on the big stage before so there will be a new name on the trophy tonight.
India stormed back into the second and final Test on the back of some fine seam bowling on Sunday, tearing through New Zealand's top order to leave the hosts rocking on 142 for five at lunch on day two at Hagley Oval. Images from Day 2 of the second Test between New Zealand and India in Christchurch on Sunday.
Images from Day 1 of the second Test between New Zealand and India in Christchurch on Saturday.
Sri Lanka openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Kaushal Silva safely guided their side to 84 without loss in their second innings at the close of the second day's play in the first Test against New Zealand on Saturday after being forced to follow-on.
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